William Merritt Chase: American Student in Munich, Pt. 2

Detail of "Portrait of a Man"
by William Merritt Chase

"Frank Duveneck, who was in Munich when William Merritt Chase arrived, but who went away for a time shortly afterward, recalls the swiftness of the young man's progress, for when Chase entered the art school he went into the antique class like any beginner, but when Duveneck returned a few months later, the young American student had become a celebrity. Indeed, Chase and J. Frank Currier were then considered the most talented of the Munich students. 

Walter Shirlaw, Chase's roommate, was another American student whose gifts had received recognition. Duveneck had already made his mark. His criticism was of great value to Chase. Julius Rolshoven recalls that Duveneck, Shirlaw, and Chase were nicknamed 'the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost' by the other students.

Chase almost immediately attracted the attention of his master, Piloty. Discussion concerning the old and new ideas of art were rife in those days. One had an amusing result. Chase had been insisting that the exact reproduction of nature had nothing in common with art. Another student challenged Chase with the remark that whether art or not, such painting represented skill of a sort, and that Chase himself was doubtless unable to paint an object so that it would deceive anyone. As a result of this friendly contention the student agreed that if Chase could perform the feat, he would give all the students a dinner. Chase accepted the challenge.

The next day when the professor arrived to criticize his pupils, he turned to hang his hat on its usual peg on the wall. The hat before the eyes of the waiting class fell to the ground. The professor picked it up and tried again, thinking he had missed the nail, but again his hat fell to the floor. When the same thing had happened a third time, the old German looked intently at the wall, then without a change of expression laid his hat upon a chair and began his criticism.

After his departure the class gathered to examine the highly successful imitation of a nail painted upon the wall by William Chase in place of the real peg of which he had painstakingly removed all traces. That night the students enjoyed an excellent dinner at their favorite restaurant!"

To be continued

(Excerpts from "The Life and Art of William Merritt Chase" by  Katherine Metcalf Roof.)